MEDICAL MATTERS

[Tardis]

Thank you all.

You should be happy to know that transplants are not allowed on private healthcare in the UK, Stanley. Something about not being able to buy organs. Everyone has to rely on the NHS list.

Stent removal today. A procedure which took less than 5 minutes, but for which I was admitted for over 8 hours.

A change in NHS policy also means that I will only get my anti-rejection from the hospital, but every other medication through my GP.

[Stanley]

I am happy.....

[David Whipp]

I another topic, I made light-hearted fun of Stanley's typo when he omitted at 't' in 'litre'. Given the effect of recent ops, it's a wonder there aren't lots more! I just hope the comment is received in the spirit it was made.

Meanwhile, I got a chance to show off my newly built up top front teeth in my very first selfie!



I don't think Joe was too impressed though...

[Cathy]

Great photo, gee there are some good looking guys in Barlick.

[Stanley]

I'm not too sure.... I like the donkey. David, no problem about lire. You're right, at the moment writing or reading anything is a personal triumph! Roll on the 15th when I see the surgeon, if he agrees I'm going to have a lens swap in my most used reading glasses. I can manage everything else with no glasses at all, even the TV. You just have to put with less than optimum clarity.
The thought that constantly re-occurs is that without the operations over the last two years I'd be totally blind now do stop whingeing Stanley!

[Stanley]

See THIS for yet another report on the benefits/disadvantages of taking a daily dose of 75mg Aspirin. There have been so many conflicting statements and I think this one is welcome because it comes to the [sensible] conclusion that the benefits far outweigh the problems. I suppose it all depends on your individual tolerance but for many years I took a daily aspirin [350mg] for my back to stop spasms before they started. It was a lifesaver for me and I never felt any ill effects until much later in life when I found that it was actually triggering pain. Quite common I think. However, I found that while I was getting on with my life it had been discovered that daily aspirin was a good prophylactic against stroke! So I had a double benefit.

[Tizer]

Here at last! A plant source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (the same as those in fish oil) - and developed by British scientists too! David will soon be able to get his veggie source of `proper' omega-3.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scie ... rvest.html
Daily Telegraph, 5th Aug 2014
First GM crops enriched with nutrients ready for harvest
Genetically modified plants which contain health boosting Omega-3 have been created by British scientists and will be harvested with weeks
The first genetically modified crops, enriched with nutrients to improve health, will be harvested within weeks following a landmark field trial in Britain. In a major step towards GM food, a crop of camelina (false flax) has been spliced with genes which make Omega-3 so that its seeds will produce an oil rich in fatty acid normally only found in fish. It is the first example of a new generation of so-called ‘nutraceuticals’ – plants whose genetic structure has been altered to introduce health-boosting properties. If future trials are successful, the plant oil will initially be fed to farmed fish, such as salmon, to boost their Omega-3 content and make food healthier for shoppers. But it could also be added to oils, used in spreads and yoghurts, or taken as a supplement.

[Tripps]

"daily aspirin was a good prophylactic against stroke"

I'd have thought that too, because of the blood thinning properties; but an expert has just said on the BBC news that the side effects of aspirin include stomach bleeds, and stroke. It's a puzzle isn't it

PS Ah, maybe this is the answer - from the Guardian.

"A second risk is stroke. Aspirin is already given to some people to reduce their risk of heart attacks or ischemic stroke, caused by blood clots, which it does by thinning the blood. But it is likely to worsen a haemorrhagic stroke, caused by bleeding in the brain."

Now it all makes sense.

[Tizer]

We're `caught on the horns of a dilemma', Tripps. `Thinning the blood' (lowering it's propensity to coagulate) reduces the risk of clotting. That's a benefit in terms of preventing heart and arterial disease but a penalty in terms of making a haemorrhagic stroke more dangerous. In the days when we knew nowt about the causes of heart disease and stroke and lived in a world of everyday dangers we were all thankful for having blood that clots quickly. Now we're trying to walk a tightrope between heart attack and stroke. Anything that reduces blood clotting will mean that more blood will be lost, and for a longer time, when a blood vessel haemorrhages. Even the users of omega-3 oils have to accept a slight increase in that risk!

[plaques]

Ebola continues to take its toll. The answer so far is containment. A military cordon round the nucleation points until it literally dies out along with perhaps 50% of the population with it. This strategy may work in third world countries and isolated villages but once it gets into the bigger cities with international travel who knows what may happen. This may be the answer to the world's population growth.

[Stanley]

Ebola. Drugs which are effective but are not yet approved have been used with good results on two US doctors who got the fever. WHO was having a meeting yesterday to try to decide a policy on using these new drugs on the African victims. Seems like a no-brainer to me if you are almost certain to die anyway!
One technical point about aspirin, it doesn't thin the blood down, it reduces clotting by making the platelets less sticky....

[Tizer]

Ebola spreads very easily in less developed countries due to the low hygiene standards. At least we have higher standards and it's very susceptible to simple soap, disinfectants, antiseptics, hot water etc. Hand washing is the main defence.

[plaques]

I see Pendle have already taken preventative measures against Ebola by closing the public toilets. I suppose if you believe the propaganda that is being rolled out; washing hands is at the top of the list. Of course they said that about Norovirus which turned out to be about the only preventative measure you could take. Its tough luck on people who live near main line railways, a good flush at 120 mph could contaminate up to a 1/4 mile of track. And don't mention aeroplanes.

[Stanley]

Have knocked the right hand lens out of my computer/reading glasses. Not got used to it yet but could be a marginal improvement.

[David Whipp]

Thanks for those thoughts, Plaques!

You can of course come to Barlick to wash your hands, where the town council has taken over three blocks of public conveniences...

[Stanley]

My old fashioned Carbolic scrubbing soap come into its own.....

[Tizer]

...Its tough luck on people who live near main line railways, a good flush at 120 mph could contaminate up to a 1/4 mile of track. And don't mention aeroplanes.

Don't get paranoid about it, Plaques. Mother Nature is pretty good at helping us otherwise we wouldn't even be here in the first place and life would be restricted to bacteria and viruses. Earth is really a noxious environment for living organisms which succumb to toxic oxygen and UV light, lack of water, catalytic chemicals etc.

[plaques]

Paranoid! Me. Never!! (Just a bit nervous maybe) On my reckoning, a year after Ebola hits the UK almost one million people will have died. The majority will be the older people although a small percentage of younger people will also die. The Government will do nothing about this terrible statistic and continue as if nothing happened.
Just to put the record straight, those who follow MP Andrew Stephenson's employment statistics will see through these headline figures and realize that this is what happens in the UK every year irrespective of Ebola or which ever government is in power. Most tabloid and Government headlines are mostly hype mixing one statement with another. But in the case of Ebola there is a real case to be vigilant and put measures in place before it gets out of hand.

[Big Kev]

Its tough luck on people who live near main line railways, a good flush at 120 mph could contaminate up to a 1/4 mile of track. And don't mention aeroplanes.

Are there still train toilets that do that? I worked for British Rail, in the early nineties, and all the new stock had black water tanks.

[plaques]

Are there still train toilets that do that?

To be honest I don't know. Its some years ago when my pal worked as a driver said "you always made sure you turned your back as a train passed". As Tizer said "Am I being paranoid". No, but I was trying to make a point that there are numerous innocent ways that people pass viruses on that we totally ignore. Basic hygiene is simple to follow but how many people do you see each day break these simple rules.

[Stanley]

I don't know either but remember the days when there were occasional reports of red ice 'meteorites' falling in flight paths.....

[Stanley]

Looking forward to seeing the eye surgeon at 16:00 today at Burnley General. I hope he'll OK an eye test and let me get rid of this double vision.....

[Wendyf]

Hope all goes well Stanley.

[Tizer]

Good luck with the visit. We'll be thinking about you!

[Cathy]

Sending you all the best Stanley.